| Description |
This volume contains the official registers of the “Mediterranean passes” (The National Archives, ADM 7). From 1662 until the early 1820s, these were issued to British ships by the Lord High Admiral. A form of diplomatic passport, the passes granted immunity from Barbary pirates patrolling the waters of the Mediterranean, as well as those around North Africa, North America, and throughout the West Indies. The pass system helped to facilitate Britain’s rise to commercial and maritime dominance. None of the passes have survived, but the registers offer a great deal of information on the vessels that were issued passes.
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